ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Rick Harrison spends a fortune on artwork in one of Pawn Stars' most expensive deals ever made

Harrison was ready to make 'the biggest buy in Pawn Stars history' for the item.
PUBLISHED MAY 7, 2025
Screenshots showing Harrison making the deal (Cover image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshots showing Harrison making the deal (Cover image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

To many who have seen Rick Harrison negotiate prices on "Pawn Stars," he may come across as a stingy person. But the pawn shop boss doesn't mind loosening purse strings if he comes across something truly rare and special. One such thing was a piece of art created by Maurice Sendak for the children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are," and he was ready to pay a whopping $250,000 for it. 

Screenshot showing Harris looking at the artwork (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Harris looking at the artwork (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

Harrison visited a local art gallery in Las Vegas, which displayed the regional work of several artists. "We're talking about 'Where the Wild Things Are,' the greatest child's book ever," Harrison said. He added that he was excited to see the item since an artwork such as this has never been on the market. The item's owner, Nick, met Harrison at the gallery, where he showed the item to the pawn boss. "I have an incredible collection of twelve original illustrations from the classic children's book. It's always really difficult selling any artwork that you are so connected with but I've had these for a while I've enjoyed them and now I think it's kind of time to pass on the torch," Nick told Harrison.

Screenshot showing some of the artwork (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing some of the artwork (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

The lead of the show was amazed to see the original works from the renowned artist and was struck with nostalgia. "I've loved these since childhood. It was one of Maurice Sendak's earliest books, written and actually illustrated as well. These are all original illustrations, and everything is one-of-a-kind," Harrison acknowledged. "When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the pictures. It was something about the way he painted everything, it was so different than any other children's work," he added. Nick then explained the detailing of the work, pointing to the cross-hatching, which was the signature of the artist. "What's really special about this, aside from the work itself, is the scale of the work. A lot of times it was on a smaller size," he explained.

Screenshot showing Nick talking about the collection (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing Nick talking about the collection (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

He further told Harrison that the drawings were in great condition, which was rare to see amongst vintage art. "A friend of mine acquired them from a university professor in about 1974. He sold them to me," he shared. Harrison then asked the owner for the price of the item, and Nick told him that he was looking for about $375,000 for it. Harrison then called in his art expert, Chad, to come take a look at the item. Upon walking in, the expert acknowledged that Sendak was a big name in the industry and that his works were quite significant. "He's just an international cultural phenomenon. I mean the book is, of course the the cornerstone of everything it's just really great," he said.

Nick explained that Sendak never sold any artwork from the book, so the collection was one-of-a-kind. Coming to the appraisal, the expert noted that the two larger images were worth $80,000 a piece. For the whole collection, he estimated the value to be about $310,000.

Screenshot showing the expert talking about the item (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)
Screenshot showing the expert talking about the item (Image source: YouTube/Pawn Stars)

Once Chad left, Harrison immediately got down to the negotiation. He made an offer of $200,000 for the collection, but Nick wasn't willing to go that low. "I could do like 300," he countered. Harrison then asked him to meet in the middle and seal the deal at $250,000. Nick accepted, and the two closed a massive deal.



 

"I can't believe I am doing this, but you got a deal," Harrison said before shaking hands.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The guest was shocked because the expert drove the car and said that he loved the experience.
11 hours ago
The guest said that she loved the tea set and that she'd lived with it for 65 years.
12 hours ago
The guest was shocked upon hearing it despite the item having signs of damage.
15 hours ago
The weird part was that she had taken the audience's help before and been successful.
1 day ago
The guest said that he did not ever dare to wear the watch given how long it had been in his family.
1 day ago
The entrepreneur was a fan of the guest shark Blake Mycoskie but said no to him as well.
1 day ago
The co-founders of 'The Better Bedder' got the partner they were looking for in the queen of QVC.
2 days ago
The fans did not believe that any of the prizes were as good as winning cash.
2 days ago
The expert said that the history of the watch would at least double its value.
2 days ago
The shark also took a jab at Kevin O'Leary and the idea of partnering with another shark.
2 days ago
The card had a manufactuting defect but that is what made it so valuable.
3 days ago
He didn't believe he'd make any money on them and offered a ridiculously low price.
3 days ago
The contestant still managed to be in the lead after quickly learning from her mistake.
3 days ago
The guest was surprised to learn that it was by one of the top artist's of the time.
3 days ago
Despite the loss, the player called making it to the show a dream come true for her.
4 days ago
The host also poked fun at the contestant who answered for now knowing where the city was.
4 days ago
The guest ran a hard bargain, but the item was iconic enough to be worth that much money.
4 days ago
While the player, James, didn't get to play his dream game, he aced the one he got to play.
4 days ago
The best part was that a lot of those hilarious answers did appear on the board.
5 days ago
He got an expert to inspect the letter as it was too good to be true that it had landed in his shop.
5 days ago